High Testosterone Levels

Who wants to be average mentally, physically, and emotionally?

I sure as hell don't.

Being above average or "super human" if you will is a good summation of personal development in general.

The more testosterone you have, the greater these qualities will be expressed.

It's no accident these characteristics are predominantly male.

My initial intentions to start testosterone replacement were to help combat a bout of depression and chronic fatigue syndrome I had been experiencing for a number of years.

After my successful experiment, my intentions changed. With the depression and fatigue wiped out I could now look forward to bigger and better things.

Lack of High Testosterone Levels

I had run the gamut of nutrition, exercise, supplements, alternative therapies, cognitive therapy, and antidepressants to no avail. I thought why not start looking at hormones.

Testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, and thyroid hormones can have powerful effects on the mind and body.

They can help battle stress, give you energy, perk up your mood, and make you look better. I thought why not... what do I have to lose, if not time.

High Testosterone Levels Benefits

- Improved well-being (reduction in depression and mild euphoria).

- Improved confidence (reduced social anxiety and greater assertiveness).

- Improved energy.

- Improved motivation (greater ambition).

- Improved sex drive and response times (shorter refractory period).

I was able to procure some injectable testosterone from a friend of mine at the gym and ordered some Arimidex (an anti-estrogen to reduce testosterone's side effects) from an online research chemical supply company.

I figured I'd go balls to the wall and see what a cycle of testosterone enanthate, 500mg per week for 10 weeks would do.

Too Much Testosterone?

Now 500mg of testosterone per week is quite a hefty dose. It's about 5 times the normal testosterone level of an average man. If I was to be a responder to testosterone, at that dose I'd surely notice a difference.

I had my testosterone levels tested before hand and it came in at 734 ng/dl. Right at the top of the range for males my age.

From talking to many guys, both in person and online, going well above higher than normal dosages of testosterone can have profound effects.

On the other hand, many doctors will tell you, nothing beneficial can be gained going over the normal range. I'm not sure if this is out of ignorance or just prevailing wisdom and maintaining the status quo.

High Testosterone Levels Studies

However, from anecdotal reports of many athletes the world over; this is clearly not the case. Here are some research studies claiming testosterone’s effectiveness in supraphysiologic dosages.

No effect on anger, mood and increased sex drive, and increased strength and muscle size.

So... with all my goodies in hand, testosterone, Arimidex, and some needles and syringes I got from the local pharmacy, I decided to make the plunge.

Taking the Plunge in to Testosterone Shots

I decided to split up my 500mg in to two weekly testosterone shots… which comes out to 1cc 250mg/ml twice per week.

A nice and round number and easy to perform.

The first effect I noticed after a week's time was my muscles started to become fuller and I was getting better pumps at the gym.

My interactions with other people also seemed to be changing.

Whilst before testosterone treatment I would tend to have some social anxiety from time to time, and lack confidence in my abilities.

Afterwards I could tell myself starting to become more assertive and gregarious.

High Testosterone Levels Reduces Social Anxiety

I stopped having a mental dialogue I tended to get when around people. Thinking... what am I going to say next, or worrying about doing something stupid. My words just tended to flow and I felt “cooler” for lack of a better word.

A number of people commented on it... I had a healthy glow about me and was carrying myself differently. People were asking me if I got a raise, or if I had a new girlfriend in my life.

Funny… if they only knew my dark secret. :) Sadly if I told anyone the truth they would probably liken me to a crack addict or the like. Thus is the perception of high testosterone levels in our culture.

High Testosterone Levels Increase Sex Drive

Other effects I started to notice... my sex drive was going through the roof. To spare you the details I was starting to develop what guy's in the know call, "test goggles".

Albeit not too much different than beer goggles but with a higher sex drive and better judgment perhaps. Ha ha.

I noticed myself tending to look at women differently. I was having an active imagination towards women I normally wouldn't be interested in.

High Testosterone Levels and Evolutionary Psychology

A side bar on high testosterone levels and its evolutionary underpinnings...

One of testosterone's psychotropic effects is its ability to raise your sex drive. Its natures way of telling you "Get out there and get laid. Don't focus on one woman in particular. Find what's available and get the job done." It's indiscriminate.

A little simplistic but... men's primary purpose for sex is to spread their seed as far and wide as possible. It's a matter of quantity over quality... a direct effect of testosterone on your brain.

On the other hand, it's more favorable for women to get quality over quantity since she has to carry a child for 9 months and is responsible for the majority of child rearing.

Thats one of the reasons why women's testosterone is lower. It would be disadvantages for her to fuck every guy in site and get pregnant by some random guy.

I also found the high testosterone levels was making sex more enjoyable for me (greater orgasms), and allowing me to get it up more often (shorter refractory times).

Positives and Negatives of Testosterone Therapy

The Positives

- Increased sex drive (noticed this big time).

- Increased energy (my chronic fatigue was diminishing).

- Better concentration (writing and complex mental tasks seemed easier).

- Depression had faded (quite profound in fact).

- More social (more at ease around people).

- Greatly increased strength and muscle mass (gained 15 lbs of muscle mass).

The Negatives

- Acne (primarily on back).

- Some minor testicle shrinkage (not necessarily a negative).

- Enlarged prostate (but later went away after increasing my Arimidex dose).

As you can see the positives far outweighed the negatives. The greatest thing I could take away from my 10 week experiment was my reduction in depression and chronic fatigue symptoms.

Although my chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms weren't entirely wiped out, it made a tremendous difference. (update: A year after the experiment I started taking low dose Abilify, which gave me complete remission).

Testosterone a Great Antidepressant

In terms of the depression I'd say testosterone was the greatest antidepressant I'd been on to date, and that includes many; Prozac, Wellbutrin, Effexor, Parnate, Moclobemide, Trazodone, Mirapex, and a few more including mood stabilizers and stimulants.

Depression runs deep in my family (sister and father are both on disability because of it) so I may not be your typical case.

I've found myself to be quite treatment resistant over the years however the extra boost in testosterone definitely seems to help with stress relief and my overall well-being.

It acts more as a mood brightener than flattener which many antidepressants seem to do.

Long Term Testosterone Treatment

Here's an after picture at around 250 lbs. It's quite a bit after the 10 weeks, hence me gaining an additional 15 lbs.

Yes, this is me even though the face is blocked out. Compare the veins on the right hand between the two pictures if there is any doubt. :)

After my experiment, I decided to stay on a lower dose of testosterone indefinitely at 250mg per week.

Still 2.5 times the normal man's, but its gains on mood and energy have definitely been worth it.

I'm still on antidepressants. I think I need that extra boost considering my treatment resistant nature but have seemed to level out at a nice place.

I'm no longer looking for that extra oomph to bring myself more in to the light.

The combination of Wellbutrin XL 450mg/day, Abilify 5 mg/day, and testosterone 250mg per week seems to be doing the trick for me.

If it's not broke, why fix it?

Health Consequences of High Testosterone Levels

One important thing to note... as I’m sure it's on many of your minds. What about my physical health? Will having "too much testosterone" cause me harm if it's something I intend on doing long term?

Well it's not without its risks, and unfortunately there isn't much long term data supporting either position. It's something you have to weigh the positives against the negatives.

I intend to work with a doctor and keep a close eye on my health markers, most notably lipids and hematocrit (high red blood cells), which tend to get the most skewed with supraphysiological dosages.

The make or break factor is... would I rather stay depressed and tired or start living my life. It's a no brainer for me.